It was much easier in the old days when there was just a mark on the dipstick that said full and one that said add oil. Now I need a magnifying glass to see my mini dipstick and then use my judgement about how much to add? I hope it never moves.

 

Good luck with that engine light too! I got rid of my last car, an Infiniti, at 70,000 miles because the engine light would come on repeatedly. My dealer charged per reset and couldn't or wouldn't resolve it even after literally thousands in repairs. Finally, took it to an independent mechanic who found a short, got it running, and I traded it. I'm hoping for better from my Mini.

 

Good Post... I was wondering the same thing too!

Although the dip stick is hard to read it is nicely constructed with the O-ring.

 

We have a 2012 Cooper S. When I saw the dipstick did not match the photo in the owner's manual, I called the Mini dealer service manager. He said the cross-hatched/roughened area between the two bumps is the oil level measurement area. The top of the roughened area is the full mark, and the bottom of the roughened area is the add one quart mark. That is somewhat different from using the bumps for the marks.

 

Ok, MiniUSA, how about an answer to this question? We have multiple dealers giving us multiple answers on how to perform a simple routine task. Mini owes all of the recent buyers of 2011 and 2012 models an explanation and a procedure for accomplishing a task that per the manual is supposed to be performed each time we fill up with gas.

P.S. I'd get the dealer to look at any unusual or check engine lights that occur. Have them run a diagnostic and ask them to give you a print out of the codes for future reference or second opinion.

 

Do you all check oil when the engine is cold, or after it has been fully warmed up and sitting for 5 mins after the engine has been shut off, per the car's manual's instructions (for a MCS 2007, so might not really apply to 2011/2012)?

Does it even matter whether the engine is cold or just been fully warmed up when you check the oil?

 

'Kay....I just posted in the Cold Start Thread that my MINI just went in for an annual service and a loud noise on startup that I was worried was the timing chain issue again (MCS 2009; chain, tensioners, rails all replaced under warranty). The SA told me it was down a quart of oil! I check my oil every couple of days and it's always full on the dipstick! He said the tube for the stick is too narrow and it's common to get oil from the sides on the stick. I told him I wait the appropriate amount of time for the oil to drip down after running OR I do the oil check 1st thing in the morning. Whaaa? I'm going to see if there's a narrower dipstick out there. Ugh.

He also said the CEL for low oil pressure only comes on when you're 3 quarts down, which can be dangerous.

 

Anybody know anything about this? I like Craven's Flexpod GPS mounts.

http://www.cravenspeed.com/mini-dipstick/

 

 

I sent them a note last week and they replied it is in final stages of testing and should be available to purchase during the first half of January. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is true . I hate the OEM dipstick.

Spencer

 

This is one of the things that bothers me about MINI. The idea that we should have to pay $75 to get a readable dipstick is absolutely unforgivable. It's this kind of thing that makes me wonder about MINI's commitment to customer satisfaction. We read all the time on here, including on this thread, about people who check their oil religiously only to find that they are actually dangerously low despite what appeared to be a full reading on the dipstick. I love the car, but they really need to pay more attention to easily fixable issues like this. Not doing so presents an uncaring attitude bordering on arrogance.

 

75 bucks for a damned dipstick. Srsly?

 

Anyone have a picture of that aftermarket dipstick from...I think it was Mini Mania...on the first page?

 

check you oil cold. pull out the dipstick, lay it on a paper towel in your hand and roll it a couple of turns. you'll leave an imprint of the oil level. There is an awful amount of complaining about not using oil, as if that's a bad thing? I find it comforting. You should read the threads of those who are losing oil like crazy and be comforted!

 

Checking your oil hot after sitting for a couple minutes will probably give you a better indication of your oil state than when cold. Cold, most of the oil has found it's way back to the pan. Hot, it's still mostly distributed through the engine, and this is where the dipstick is calibrated for. Measuring cold will show more oil than it should, though probably not much.

Also, somebody asked about the 2012s. They still suck. No change.

 

I have a 2010 R-55 and the dipstick is easy to read. It has a yellow plastic end with two bulges on it, the bulge at the bottom is the low level and the bulge at the top is the full mark.

Did they change the dipstick in 2011?

Dave

 

Yes, now a dark red and no marks. Totally impossible to read

 

Read the owner's manual: it instructs you to check the oil HOT. Oil expands when hot, and the dipstick is calibrated accordingly. This is pretty much standard among most manufacturers in the industry.

I don't know where some of these misconceptions come from....

 

Chaswyk,

well said.

I agree: $75 is ridiculous and even more ridiculous is that I should even have to contemplate changing the damned dipstick! Ugh.

 

At least we HAVE dipsticks. BMW and Audi have gone to sensors that 1) that FOREVER to give you a reading and 2) and ONLY be done after having driven the car for a while...which if you're low on oil is retarded... Not having a dipstick on my '10 M3 and my '11 A4 REALLY pissed me off.

 

I'll be the first to order a dipstick I can actually read. $75s fine with me. With my oil leak problem I've been checking it or at least trying to every day. What a total pain..

 

GGAAAAAH! No dipstick at all?? I had no idea.

You know...sometimes the newest technology is not a good substitute for something as simple and useful as a dipstick.

 

Went to check the oil after 4,000 miles. I think it's about a quart low but can not tell for sure as the manual has a different dip stick and the online video is not really clear. Mini clearly warns you not to overfill so go to dealer. They add quart charge me $8.00. Not exorbitant but I thought you get free maintenance for 3 years 36,000 Miles. Find out top ups are not covered.

( FYI The dealer was nice enough to take care of right away as I waited )

Never paid a dime to BMW during free maint. period. Never needed oil but did need other things. Now this is maintenance as if if got lower , it would damage engine.

Think this is kind of petty on Mini to not cover this.

Will keep some oil on hand to top up in future as it is easier than going to dealer.

Just seems cheap !

 

The real issue is, the dipstick is not a good design at all (FAIL). I asked some people about the dipstick issue before we got the car and they were frustrated with it. When we picked the car up from the dealer we had the dealer's salesman demonstrate "how to see the oil on the dipstick." We could see the stick but the oil was not so easy to see. The stick looks wet when it is dry.

I just checked the oil in my wife's Mini (2500 miles) and I have no idea if it needs some small amount of oil or not. I have built motors and changed the oil in my cars for over 30 years. I am very familiar with clean synthetic oil. When I checked the oil on our 2012 Cooper S the oil on the stick is thinner at the top of the stick and thicker (volume not viscosity) at the bottom of the stick. I checked the oil (warm oil as Mini recommends) after sunset but I was in a well lit area (overhead lights like a gas station) and I had a flash light too. It was difficult to see the oil on the stick partly because of the light and mostly because of the plastic tip on the dip stick. I transferred the oil to my shop towel and the shape on the towel looked like an arrow (pointy at the high mark and wide at the low mark /tip). I repeated the checking processes 7 times and got the same results. It looks like the oil is down 1/16 - 1/4 of the inner stick zone but I see oil on the stick above the red dart too.

I don't care if the dipstick in my car matches the photo in the owner's manual as long as it is possible see the oil level without having to guess. With blade style dipsticks I can see the level line due to the thickness between the blade with oil and the "thinner" blade with no oil. The "dart shape" Mini stick has no flat surfaces and the oil appears to run around the dart tip. I don't think our Mini motor is in danger yet but I want to teach my wife how to check the level (she can do it on our other cars with not trouble). At this point it looks like it is easy to see a false negative and then over fill. Several people have warned me about oil level related engine damage on the Mini R56.

Help!

Day 2 of checking the oil level on the Mini Cooper S

This morning I checked the oil level in natural light without running the motor first. I had my camera so I could zoom in. The oil level on the (dart) stick is higher when the motor has not been run for 8 hours (I am not surprised because the oil has dripped down into the pan). This picture shows the transfer shape on the shop towel when I checked the level at home in the morning (cold oil). The yellow lines show what I saw when the oil was warm.


This picture shows the cold oil check and you can see how more of the oil is at the tip end. You can see the texture on the upper part of the stick but it still has some oil on it.

My question is what should the stick look like when the motor needs oil? How much do you add per % of the stick and can you see a change when you add small amounts of oil?I hope people are not just over filling because they can't see the real level. Will I see more texture but still see some oil that transfers from the tube when the motor needs oil? I know that this is not rocket science but the visual ergonomics on this dip stick are poor.

 

OMG...Ocean, that is genius! Seriously! I have the SAME confusion and I felt like a dolt when the SA told me my car was down a quart. I mean...how hard SHOULD it be to read a dipstick? Your demo really shows the variation in both measurement and interpretation/perception in reading the stick.

Ugh. Cravenspeed is going to email me when the $75 dollar stick is available. I'm not sure, frankly, if I'm going to keep my 2009 MCS once it's out of warranty in November, but in the meantime I sure don't want to run low on oil so I'm willing to shell out $ for the aftermarket dipstick.

Thanks, Ocean, for clearly presenting the problem with the MINI design. *applause!*